In Denile

Three words. Rafting the Nile. I'm not a bad speller, the title was the name of our rafting team. Probably one of the most intense experiences of my life. Our rafting guide was named David but we could call him Davey-D which ended up being DVD. (My mom has issues when it comes to nicknames) He kept us alive on those rapids. We went on all 3's,4's, and 5's. On the very last rapid we honestly should have tipped and gone in, but DVD saved us. We were practically horizontal in our boat. We had 2 boats of people that were with us, it was  the families in one boat and the students in the other. The student's boat capsized on almost every single rapid. Apparently, you really haven't gone river rafting until you've flipped but I don't know if a believe that. On the third to last rapid, My dad and Brent Allred fell out of the boat. It was actually kind of comical because I looked up and they were there, crouching down in the boat and the next moment they had completely disappeared. They were fine in the end, but going down rapids without a raft looked like quite the experience. I had a stellar time on the Nile but it was terrifying. If I was given the opportunity, I would totally do it again.

Why'd Constantinople Get the Works? That's Nobody's Business But the Turks.

 Who doesn't want to stay in a Pink House?

 The locals clothes. I thought this only happened in movies.

 You know the Giant at the top of the beanstalk? Well, we found his Lair.

 Doors Without Handles.

 We went to Narnia and visited Lucy and Aslan.

 At the Blue Mosque. The one time I felt truly Turkish.

 I wonder how long it took to make those stain glass windows.

 One thing that all religions have in common is God. I believe that this is his light.

 Catie and I. She's jealous cause she didn't get a shoulder shall.

 The other side of this was a resturant. Shhh..... No one has to know.

 I thought this door was poetic. In what way, you'll have to figure out.

 The star in the sky. I wish I had domes like this in my house.

 It's a cat. Have you ever seen this in America? I don't think so.

 The Turkish Flag! If I knew the Turkish Anthem, I would start singing it.

 Ferry Ride to another Continent.

 The Grand Bazaar! It is a maze in there. A maze of pushy men who want to make a couple bucks.

Robbie as a monkey. I think the resemblance is way too similar to ignore.

On Saturday, Sunday, and only a slight bit of Monday, we were in Istanbul, Turkey. We had a two day layover so we left the airport and explored! So I know that many of you may be reading my brother's blog or my sister's as well as mine. I'm not going to give you a schedule of the events that we did, you can go to Robbie's for that. If you want something more philosophical and smart, go to Catie's. I'm looking more at the artistic side of things.

While we were in Istanbul, I took notice of something rather remarkable. The buildings and the architecture. It's all mismatched with different colors and styles. It's wonderful to look at and be surrounded by. Even walking through the streets, the everyday houses are each it's own, unique work of art. The details and decorations are so amazing and meticulous. It's almost as if that window, or that door was specifically crafted for the house. Each had it's own character and story with it. If the pink hostel we stayed in called Piya Hostel could talk it would be a little girl's voice. Whereas if the gray stone, wrought iron building next door could speak it would be the low rumbling of a man. My favorite part about it all is that all the buildings somehow ended up living side by side in a messy, bizarre, yet somehow still beautiful harmony.

Another thing that really caught me while I was there was the religion. Walking in the city, you see more women wearing scarves around their heads than you see women showing their hair. The scarves are wonderful, all different colors to drape on one's head. While we were there, on Sunday, we went to the Blue Mosque. It's a beautiful temple of worship for the Islam people. Before we were admitted inside, they stopped us and made us wear cloth around our legs if we were wearing shorts or a shorter skirt and our shoulders if we were wearing short sleeves. They didn't make the men change at all. We also had to take off our shoes. I thought it was curious that once we were inside, after going through the modesty process to respect the temple, that no one was being very respectful. It made me kind of upset. Something else that I thought was interesting was there was a place that only men could go to worship. The women weren't allowed in that part of the temple. On Saturday we walked along the shore. It was beautiful except of course for the almost naked men laying on the rocks. There was this one guy wearing a rainbow speedo that was a little too tight, he put his back to us, the put his hands in fists on either side of his hips, striking a kind of superhero pose. It was incredibly scarring. As we walked down the shore, I realized that it was almost all men on the rocks. To top it off, the two or three women that were there, were fully clothed. Culture in other countries can be very interesting. Well, those were my adventures in Istanbul. Please give me your feedback.

My Sincerest Apologies

The past few days have been crazy for me and I haven't really had access to the computer. I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to post something. I am going to write about my trip previous to this day because I wanted to share it with you though it's already past. I hope that you're still checking and reading even though I haven't written in a couple days. Please post whenever you feel like it.

Embarking on an Adventure

This summer I am going on a trip. But I don't think trip is the right word to use. This summer I am going on an adventure. Into the great unknown, also known as Africa. Starting on July 11th I will be in Kampala, Uganda. Exploring the other side of the world. You might say I'm nervous for this endeavor. Between you and me, I'm so scared there's a chance I'll pee my pants. But I am also excited beyond human comprehension. This is going to be a life changing experience, I can feel it in my soul. I created this blog so that I can share my experiences with others and hear their thoughts and feelings. I have no idea what's out there but I am reading to jump in. Wish me luck.